Israeli protesters block aid to Gaza, call trucks ‘humanitarian ammunition'
According to Israel National News, the protest was organised by far-right movements 'Tzav 9' and 'Miluimnikim – Generation of Victory,' who claim aid deliveries undermine Israel's war effort and benefit Hamas. The demonstration came after 93 trucks were allowed through the crossing a day earlier, a number still far below what humanitarian agencies say is needed to avert famine.
'This is an unimaginable injustice,' declared Reut Ben Chaim of Tzav 9. 'We cannot remain silent while this harm to our hostages continues. The people of Israel will come and stop this atrocity and the strengthening of a terror group.'
Israeli reserve soldier Ashriel Machlev of the Miluimnikim group added: 'This isn't humanitarian — it's national suicide and it's humanitarian ammunition... We will be here every week — hundreds of reservists ready to physically block this madness.'
Israel faces growing international condemnation for its stranglehold on aid to Gaza, where health officials warn of looming famine and the UN has described conditions as 'catastrophic.'
A new Channel 13 survey has revealed that over half of Israeli respondents - 53 percent - oppose allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, even as conditions in the besieged enclave continue to deteriorate and the UN warns of deepening famine in the strip.
A truck carrying aid makes its way to the Gaza Strip from the Karem Abu Salem crossing also known as the Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing, on May 20, 2025 (AFP)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel's Ben Gvir seen threatening Marwan Barghouti in prison in new video
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has been filmed visiting Marwan Barghouti, the most prominent Palestinian prisoner, and threatening him that Israel will "obliterate" anyone who opposes it. It is the first time that Barghouti has been seen publicly in years. Aged and gaunt, wearing a white undershirt, he is almost unrecognisable. In the video, which circulated on social media on Thursday night, Ben Gvir is seen telling Barghouti: "Whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women, we will obliterate them. You will not defeat us." Barghouti has been in prison since 2004. A senior figure in Fatah, the party that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), he was targeted by Israel due to his leading role in the 2000-2005 Second Intifada and popularity among the public. Qassem Barghouti, Marwan's son, told Middle East Eye that his family feels a grave threat to his father's life, particularly after this latest footage. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "There has been an ongoing approach for two years to threaten and assault him. He was attacked for the first time two years ago at the beginning of the war and was wounded to varying degrees," Qassem Barghouti said. "It is clear today from the threat of National Security Minister Ben Gvir, who represents the highest Israeli security hierarchy, that there is a real danger to his life." Qassem Barghouti said it is "clear that there is direct threat to assassinate and kill him inside his cell" and that the targeting and abuse of Palestinian prisoners is part of the genocide that Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reported that Ben Gvir was visiting Tel Aviv's Gannot prison with prisons service commissioner Kobi Yaakobi "to closely monitor the worsening of the imprisoned terrorists' conditions". Barghouti has long been held in solitary confinement. He was sentenced to five life sentences plus 40 years in an Israeli prison for attacks that killed five people, though he declined to defend himself, saying he did not recognise the court's legitimacy. Opinion polls suggest that Barghouti, 66, would be a shoo-in for the Palestinian presidency if they were held and he were able to run for the office. He is seen as a unifying figure despite identifying with Fatah, which is associated with the deeply unpopular PA. Gaza ceasefire deal: Hamas, Egypt and Qatar pushing for Marwan Barghouti's release Read More » In January, MEE reported that Egypt and Qatar, alongside Hamas, were using "all means available" to secure Barghouti's release as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement. A source close to the negotiations told MEE that his name was one of the top figures that would be traded for Israeli captives taken on 7 October 2023 in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the director of Egypt's General Intelligence Services, personally interceded to push for his release, sources said. However, a source previously told MEE that senior PA officials wanted him excluded from any exchange, fearing it could threaten the leadership of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Following the release of the footage on Thursday, Awni Almashni, a former Fatah candidate backed by Bargouti, told MEE that "Ben Gvir believes he is insulting the Palestinian people with this display". "But the Palestinian people and all of Marwan's fans are proud of Marwan Barghouti's legendary steadfastness, his great stances, and his refusal to back down in the face of the occupation's brutality," he said. "The will for freedom that Marwan represents will not be broken by the tyranny, injustice and arrogance." Since Israel began its genocide in Gaza in October 2023, a spike in arrests, detainment and worsening prison policies has been recorded by rights groups and media outlets. Barghouti has been singled out for rough treatment, his family say. An attack by prison officers in September 2024 wounded his head, ears, ribs, right arm, and back. Ben Gvir, an influential far-right settler leader, has said worsening living conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is one of his top goals.
Sharjah 24
3 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
UAE strongly condemns Israeli statements regarding Greater Israel
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) underscored the UAE's categorical rejection of any threat to the sovereignty of Arab states, and called for an end to incendiary statements and actions by extremists within the Israeli government. The Ministry also reaffirmed the importance of halting all settlement and expansionist plans that threaten regional stability and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence in the region and among its peoples.
Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel threatens to ban major aid organisations, as starvation in Gaza deepens
Most major international non-profit organisations have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March, despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, a joint press release from more than 100 NGOs said on Thursday. Israeli authorities are said to have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorized to deliver aid", instead of clearing the increasing backlog of goods. The statement said that more than 60 requests were denied under this justification in July alone, and the obstruction has left millions of dollars' worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter items stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt, while Palestinians are being starved. 'Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza - including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,' said Sean Carroll, president and CEO of Anera. Many of the NGOs that are now told they are not 'authorized' to deliver aid have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities, and are experienced in delivering aid safely. Their exclusion has left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses, and aid workers themselves going to work hungry.
